As enterprises continue to grow and merge, the need for companies to share information from diverse applications, databases and legacy systems becomes critical. At the same time, companies desire to use existing information technology resources while retaining a significant degree of compatibility with emerging technologies. Processes which address these and related concerns are known as enterprise architecture integration or “EAI” processes. EAI addresses the problem that enterprises, customers, partners and suppliers have incompatible systems in place which do not promote collaboration and sharing of information. When people, business processes and technologies in enterprises are not fully integrated as a result of business transitions, such as mergers and acquisitions, enterprises must try to meld different legacy systems into one integrated system. The result of an inability to do this effectively can be that business performance and performance improvements cannot coordinate across multiple enterprises.
In order to meet EAI process objectives, companies seek to link or integrate disparate information sources and business processes and systems including legacy Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Customer Relationship Management (CRM), and Software Configuration Management (SCM) systems, from multiple data sources and other proprietary business solutions. The integration technology must provide tools for the design, deployment, customization and maintenance of integrated solutions. The technology should permit maximum deployment flexibility and connectivity options, as well as support a wide range of platforms, operating systems and databases. Moreover, the integration technology should include support for interoperability with a variety of messaging and application management technologies.
Enterprise information technology infrastructures consist of an applications layer deployed on top of networking and compute layers. While the underlying standardized layers have matured to high levels of operational and cost efficiencies, integrating applications have been riddled with several issues currently being worked on by system integrators and EAI vendors. A critical challenge is how to move from the existing environment towards a more flexible and cheaper environment while maintaining business continuity.
Other limitations are that existing systems are designed very generically. Most EAI packages design all of the different types of events into their record structure. Unfortunately, for many applications, such as in the financial industry, this does not work because events change dynamically and the associated core processing must be dynamically changeable. For example, business logic is often buried as code in applications. When business requirements change, unfortunately, the associated application software must also change. To make such changes is costly, time consuming and difficult. The need for a fast and cost-effective response to market changes, however, is of paramount importance for market success in integrating applications.
Therefore, there is a need for fast and low-cost business logic adaptation capabilities.
Moreover, a need exists for a logic adaptation method and system using an open architecture that allows flexible adaptation to new conditions and new expressions in dynamic changes to external events.
A further need exists for a way to respond to advances in application programs and external events that not only have use in the case of business logic, such as in the financial services industry, but also in a wide variety of other industries, as well.